Why the #KarlaWasRobbed hashtag is important to #OscarsSoWhite

When the Daytime Emmys pre-nomination announcement was made on Jan. 27, it was surprising to most soap fans that The Bold and the Beautiful’s Kara Mosley was not on that list. The actress’ transgender story line was groundbreaking and was the first of its kind for a major character.

Her performance and the show is being acknowledged with a GLAAD Media Award later this year, but the daytime star has one of the most compelling journeys in scripted television. While Mosley was gracious about the snub, fans have taken to social media to air their gripes and support the actress with the hashtag #KarlaWasRobbed.

What makes this outcry so important is the fact that Hollywood is being called out on its lack of diversity right now. With B&B featuring a main story line about a black transgender female, this is exactly the type of superb performance that should be singled out.

Mosley knows this role has even helped open the eyes of some viewers who may have had a hard time understanding the transgender community in the past.

“Everyday I receive more and more comments from people whose hearts are opening to Maya and her story,” she told People magazine in May 2015. “They say things like, ‘I’m learning things about trans people and it’s making me think about that community in a way I hadn’t before.’ The positive responses far outweigh anything else and that makes me feel hopeful and humbled.”

With #OscarsSoWhite trending over the last month, it’s time to take a closer look at how the Daytime Emmys have been nominating actors. For the last 42 years, the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series has been won by a caucasian woman. Mosley has had such a tremendous year, so it’s hard to believe she didn’t even make it to the pre-nomination stage.

Even though award shows are at the end of the process in the entertainment industry, shows like The Bold and the Beautiful have proven that they are open to diversity when it comes to creating scripts. So when it comes to the Daytime Emmys, the lead actress category fails to have a woman of color in their pre-nominations list and B&B doesn’t have a single actress represented.

Mosely handled the major oversight well and congratulated those who were nominated.

In the meantime, the 43rd Annual Daytime Emmys in May will have another caucasian winner in the lead actress category.